Speakers and Home Theater Systems

A basic surround-sound system, known as 5.1, consists of a receiver, three front speakers (right, left, and center channels), two rear surround speakers and one subwoofer. More advanced systems have one or two additional surround speakers. The receiver is the brain of the home-theater system, it supplies power to the speakers and decodes audio and video signals.

Blu-ray discs are capable of feeding significantly more audio information into your sound system to provide deeper, richer sound. However HDTV built-in speakers tend to have low power and relatively poor sound quality compared to a home-theater system and the benefits of high-def sound cannot truly be appreciated without a surround-sound speaker system, in which it allows you to fully experience high-definition entertainment.

Surround sound requires at least a 5.1 system. Even though you only have limited space and a modest budget, a home-theater system isn't out of reach; satellite speakers can be considerably smaller than tower or floor-standing versions without sacrificing sound quality, and entry-level receivers/speakers are sufficient for most home-theater systems. Our guide will help you optimize your new surround-sound system.

Speakers Basics.

How to Bring Out the Best in Your Home-Theater Sound System

Though a home-theater sound system can be tricky to set up, the results are worth it. The combination of a high-def picture with immersive sound can make you forget you're on your own couch.

When you're positioning your speakers, the left and right front speakers should be equidistant from your prime listening seat, with the TV centered between them, and the center speaker is placed directly above or below your TV. All three front speakers sound best when they are the same height as the listeners' ears.

Try to keep the distance of the front left and right speakers at least two feet away from the corners of the room, since bounced sound off of side walls can create unwanted audio effects. If the room is too small to avoid this or if the speakers are less than eight feet from your seating area, try to angle the speakers inward so they're aimed at the listening position. This can produce more treble detail and will focus the sound in the right direction.

In a 5.1 channel system, the surround speakers are best positioned two to three feet above, to the side of, and slightly behind the main listening position. For 6.1 channel system, The rear center channel should be directly behind the seating area. In 7.1 channel system, the ideal placement for the two rear speakers is on the back wall at approximately the same angle from the listening position as the front left and right speakers.

To produce the most bass, a subwoofer needed to be placed in a corner. Believe it or not, a great way to figure out where the sub should go is to first put it in the main listening position. Play music or movies with a lot of bass and stroll around the room, stopping at each of the spots you're considering for the sub's placement. Identify the spot where the bass is deepest and best defined, and put the sub there.

The results with audio setup can depend on many variables, such as your receiver, your speakers, and the room in which they are placed. Test your system's auto setup to make sure it sounds the way you'd like. If you have a subwoofer, it will sound best when it's in phase with the main speakers. To determine if your sub's phase is correct, play music with a lot of bass, listen for a minute or so, and then have someone sitting by the sub flip its 0 to 180 degree phase switch between those two settings. The correct setting is the one that yields the most bass. If you don't hear any difference between the two, leave the control in the 0 position.

This may seem like a lot to do just to watch a movie, but when you consider all the hours you'll spend enjoying your home theater, getting it right from the beginning is the way to go. A properly configured sound system will be music to your ears for years to come.